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Sunday, November 29, 2009

I am glad that the Selangor Government has decided to stop sending students in Selangor to programs by Biro Tata Negara (BTN) of the Prime Minister's Department. With divisive and racist courses by BTN, no wonder 50 years after independence, our current Prime Minister is desperately trying to convince the people to adopt the 1Malaysia motto. In public, they scream unity but in secret, they divide and rule. Hypocrisy can't be better defined! Below is the letter addressed to our Menteri Besar which was signed by the 7 of us, young Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives:

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Pursuant to the last posting since this matter was highlighted, a subsequent press conference was held recently at Lafite Apartments in SS17, Subang Jaya. Read the article below for more details. A big thank you to MPSJ councillor Theresa Ratnam, the developer Sime Darby and their consultant.

SUBANG JAYA: Residents of the landslip-prone Lafite Apartments in SS17 here can finally get a good night's sleep.

This is because they no longer have to worry about landslips following the completion of rehabilitation and strengthening works on the slope where their apartments are located.

Work to strengthen the slope, measuring 20 metres high and 170 metres wide, was completed in July after soil work began at the end of last December.

The RM1 million project was carried out by the developer, Sime Darby.

There are 282 apartments on top of the slope.

Residents had been living in fear following three minor landslips in 1999, 2002 and 2008.

At a press conference held at the Lafite Apartments community hall recently, Sime Darby, through its appointed consultant, Han Consultant, submitted a copy of the full report and assessment on the slope rehabilitation work to the Subang Jaya Municipal Council for review.

The slope had been given the soil-nailing treatment, a common method used in strengthening landslip-prone slopes.

Han Consultant principal Han King Guan said he had conducted soil evaluation on the slope since May 2007 and had been monitoring the slope for two years.

"Initially, erosion had occurred on the slope surface but it did not pose any threat to the slope structure.

"We have monitored the slope for two years and finally decided that the slope stability was not within the desirable condition.

"Hence, we opted to do the soil-nailing treatment to strengthen the slope structure," Han said.

"Although it took us 10 years to have the slope resurfaced with concrete treatment, we are relieved that our houses are now built on a solid and strong surface," he said.

Sime Darby asset management property division head Nor Azhar Md Husain, when asked about the delay in rectifying the slope condition, said there was no delay and that the appointed consultant was carrying out a geo-technical evaluation of the slope.

"The consultant needed to do the evaluation on the slope first before recommending the right treatment for restoring the slope.

"Although the property is now under the care of the management corporation, as a responsible developer, we proceeded to take up the slope rehabilitation project."

Also present was Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh who commended Sime Darby for being a responsible developer.

"I am happy that this matter has been resolved.

"I thank the developer and the consultant for completing the slope remedial work within six months," said Yeoh.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Rukun Tetangga USJ 2 & 6 and my office jointly organised a meet-the-people-session @ town hall in USJ 6. We had about 200 residents present on a Saturday morning. I spent about 30 minutes giving an update on issues concerning the residents of USJ 6. Residents were able to discuss issues on lighting and maintenance of parks with their MPSJ councillor Rajiv Rishyakaran. I also discussed the guidelines on gated & guarded community and a simple show of hands from the residents indicated a "NO" for USJ 6 to implement such a scheme.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

During the State Assembly session last week, I was annoyed with the lack of attendance by some head(s) of department(s). When assemblymen raised issues pertaining to the different constituencies in Selangor, no answers or in some cases, no satisfactory answers were given to us. At one point, I even heard an officer snoring away. Changing of government without changing the civil service is equivalent to winning half the battle only. I would like to see actions taken on non-performing mayors, district officers, directors and staff. No one serving the public should ever be indispensable if they neglect public interest.

SHAH ALAM: A state representative is not happy that many questioned asked at the state assembly sitting have been given the cursory answer of “sedang dikaji” or “akan dikaji” (will be looked into or is being looked into).

Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh said all of the questions asked were of importance to the people and senior civil servants should ensure that they were given due importance.

“Questions put forward in the state assembly at times need quick answers as they concern the people. Most of the times the answer we get from senior civil servants are either akan dikaji or sedang dikaji.

“This does not reflect well on the department concerned and the state government,” said Yeoh.She also wants senior civil servants to make sure that they did not miss the sitting so that questions about their departments could be replied to speedily.

They should also make sure that they are well-versed with issues affecting the state and their departments so that they will not be caught flat-footed when required to supply answers to questions, she added.

Yeoh also expressed concern about the public’s negative perception of senior officers and their lackadaisical attitude when attending the state assembly.

“Senior officers must attend the sittings and not give it a miss. Most of the time we see that the senior officers are missing from their seats,” she said.

He was replying to a question by Hannah Yeoh (DAP-Subang Jaya) who asked for statistics on dengue cases in Selangor over the last two years in the state assembly here Monday.

Subang Jaya Municipal Council recorded 1,733 cases, Klang Municipal Council (1,733), Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (1,581), Kajang Municipal Council (1,408), Petaling Jaya City Council (1,116) and Selayang Municipal Council (708).

Shah Alam City Council recorded 3,612 cases, the highest last year, followed by Kajang Municipal Council (3,210), Klang Municipal Council (2,466), Subang Jaya Municipal Council (2,061), Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (1,709), Petaling Jaya City Council (1,429) and Selayang Municipal Council (466).

Dr Jayakumar said the state government did not provide allocation to the local authorities for dengue prevention purposes.

"Local authorities receive allocations directly from the Housing and Local Goverment Ministry for vector control, purchase of poisons and fogging machines.

Because of concerns for crime, residents all over Klang Valley are beginning to look to gated & guarded schemes for a solution. At a recent townhall session in Ampang conducted by the State Government, I had reiterated that any discussion on gated & guarded must involve the police and the Home Ministry for two simple reasons : (1) security is under the purview of the Home Ministry and (2) security companies must be registered with the Home Ministry. It would be futile to engage in any discussion without them because they are the governing body for this matter.

Some people claim that Pakatan Rakyat has caused the emergence of gated & guarded. Such claims are puzzling and these claimants are plainly ignorant. Some gated & guarded schemes have started in USJ for about 10 years now. When residents initiate gated & guarded schemes, they usually invite me to their briefing session (even though I am not a Member of Parliament - security and Home Ministry are at the federal level while I handle matters at the State level) and as a responsible elected representative, it is my duty to meet the residents and listen to their concerns. When I show up to meet the residents, some people will then claim that I am endorsing wrongdoing because barricading road without the consent of the authority is illegal.

Very recently I attended a consultation session with MPSJ councillors, representatives from every section in USJ and USJ Residents' Association. We had an extensive dialogue going through the current guidelines prepared by Lembaga Perumahan dan Hartanah Selangor and the challenges faced by these groups. We concluded the discussion with the decision for every group to submit the details and plans of their gated & guarded schemes to the Infrastructure and OSC committees in MPSJ for their consideration and careful study.

After the dialogue, I was surprised to find this malicious article entitled Politicising 'fear-in-your-own-home' published in Malaysiakini. Even though I was not specifically named in this article, it was clear that I was the person referred to by the writer. The writer was more interested in criticising me than to discuss on the real issue at hand which is security. Some remarks in the article are untrue and some were taken completely out of context, inserting some of my remarks and purposefully and conveniently excluding the rest. I contacted Malaysiakini and asked for the details of the writer for me to reply to but there was no response. For now, I will not reply to an anonymous writer. I understand full well that public figures will be subject to criticisms but the criticisms should be constructive and true, not misleading and fictitious.

Residents all over DUN Subang Jaya who have worked with me for the last 19 months know full well that I am not a person who likes to politicise matters. I have endeavoured at all times to cooperate with Federal agencies to work for the best interests of residents.

I have discussed the issue of gated & guarded with my fellow assemblymen from other constituencies all over Selangor and we're working on improving the current guidelines. In the current State Assembly sitting, I have suggested to the State Government to have an emergency meeting with the Home Minister as soon as possible. I make my stand very clear here again : gated & guarded schemes must not be a permanent solution for crime. It is only a temporary measure (maybe 5 years) for the police force to improve and increase resources for urban areas.

I have also been waiting for a long time to hear what the Home Ministry and Federal Government have to say about gated & guarded. Lo and behold, they finally spoke up and brace yourself to hear their responses at Parliament:

I do not know how to make these UMNO MPs and the Home Minister understand the residents' concerns. They do not even understand the basic reason why residents are turning to gated & guarded schemes, let alone expect them to beef up the police force and restore a sense of security for Malaysians. My hope for a safer Malaysia remains a hope.

The State Legislative Assembly of Selangor is currently in session. Elected representatives are debating on the state budget for 2010. I can't help but show you the comparison below:

Pakatan Rakyat ADUNs - almost all in attendance, at all times during the sitting

Barisan Nasional ADUNs - 7 out 20 in attendance, sometimes only 1 ADUN is present. How do they function as effective opposition if they are not interested and diligent? [the BN-friendly ADUN from Port Klang is hardly seen at the assembly, hop or not - makes no difference]

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Selangor State Legislative Assembly will enter its 3rd meeting in this year's session beginning tomorrow, Monday Nov 9. Watch the full proceedings live online at http://www.tvselangor.com/. This will be the budget session. I urge my constituents and fellow citizens of Selangor to follow the proceedings as much as you can.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Recently, my office together with the assistance of HC Connection (200 volunteers) and Manipal Alumni (67 doctors) organised the largest health screening program in DUN Subang Jaya and arguably the State at the carpark of Angsana flats, USJ 1. JKP Zone 4 led by MPSJ councillor Roslan Shahir and MPSJ also assisted in the logistic arrangement.

State Exco YB Dr Xavier and YB Loh Gwo Burne (MP For Kelana Jaya) joined us for the opening ceremony

A total of 746 patients (excluding children) were screened and examined by the doctors. Cataract, glaucoma and pap smear tests were also available and we also had free educational health exhibition

Dental bus

260 residents received free dental treatment

According to a doctor, some of these medical equipments are only available in private healthcare but the residents had the chance of using them. Residents of different races benefitted from this program

HC Connection conducted a door-to-door survey and the poor received essential groceries

While the adults were busy with the health screening, 334 children took part in the children's program

Volunteers attending to the children

Students who participated in Project Fireflies for the last 10 months received their trophies and certificates of completion

Children of Project Fireflies also performed for the crowd in English

The crowd

Mascot from Digi kept the children entertained

Some children also received stationeries for school

Bicycles were also given out to children (see the smile on her face!)

Corporate sponsors who participated in the health screening - Thank you so much!

The volunteers of HC Connection and doctors from Manipal Alumni (RM5700 worth of medication was given away) gave out of their own pockets for the purpose of this health screening. I also used the state allocation for the logistic arrangement. The Health Ministry under the Federal Government needs to urgently provide a public clinic for the residents of Subang Jaya. I have raised this need multiple times in the State Assembly and have written in and requested for a public clinic. All the patients examined on that day have been referred to the nearby public hospitals for follow-up. Diabetes is the most serious and common medical condition and my office will follow-up with awareness programs for the residents. Once again, I wish to put on record my deepest appreciation to the volunteers from HC Connection led by Mr Raymond M and Kenneth (coordinator) and Dr Koshy and Dr Thomas (Manipal Alumni) for their kind contribution and hard work in making this health screening a success.

Note : You will not read about this in the mainstream media as it is not sensational enough, only news of political bickering depicting Pakatan Rakyat in a negative light will survive the mainstream media!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Together with the assistance of Rukun Tetangga USJ 2 and USJ 6, we will be having a town hall session with residents of USJ 6. Details are as follows:-

Date : 7 November 2009 (Saturday)

Time : 8:30am sharp

Venue : The field facing Jalan USJ6/5 & USJ6/4B

MPSJ Councillor Rajiv Rishyakaran for USJ 6 will be there to meet the residents. See you there!

Banners for the said town hall have been displayed at USJ 6. This morning, I received a call from a resident informing me that 2 banners have been vandalised. Nevertheless, I hope residents will turn up to meet me on recent issues concerning USJ 6.